Legacy
by burnein
Summary: Plans for an experiment with Gojyo as the ideal test subject have surfaced, and the group is pulled into a world of deceit and emotion as Gojyo uncovers his roots and finds out who his family truly is. [eventual slash – you have been warned]
1. Prologue

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Legacy

Summary: Plans for an experiment with Gojyo as the ideal test subject have surfaced, and the group is pulled into a world of deceit and emotion as Gojyo uncovers his roots and finds out who his family truly is. [eventual slash – you have been warned]

Disclaimer: Not mine. Only the random townsfolk and villains. Don't rub it in.

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Prologue [in which much isn't revealed and in which there is unnecessary dialogue]

It was nice, really, not to have that monkey underfoot. Not that he was really all that annoying, but having food to oneself and some peace was quite pleasant.

Sanzo was reading a newspaper the innkeeper had provided, smoking his lungs out. A pile of empty cigarette boxes and a mountain of cigarette stubs were strewn over the worn table, and the tension was palpable. Two people sat at the other end of the table from the priest, and they each held something very important… something that determined the very ending of each other.

"I've got a full house! Beat that!"

"Straight flush," said Hakkai apologetically. Gojyo flicked his long hair out of his face and shook his head.

"I wonder, not for the first time, why I even bother. Everyone and their pet monkey knows I'll lose."

"Someone has to put you in your place," the blonde behind the newspaper muttered.

"But you do that just fine, don't you, Sanzo-sama?" Gojyo grinned, and yelled when a paper fan came hurtling his way.

"Shut up." Sanzo turned away from them.

Hakkai gathered the cards and stood. "I think I'm going out for a walk. Do any of you want anything?"

Sanzo slid the gold card across the table. "Beer, cigarettes, and don't spend too much on food. Those annoying gods are complaining about the bill. Again."

Somewhere in the East, three heads sneezed as one.

"We're not Goku," Gojyo told Sanzo. "We don't eat everything in sight." Draping an arm around Hakkai, he winked at Sanzo. "Missing your little monkey already, eh?"

Gojyo found himself squinting down the business end of a small, shiny Smith and Wesson. "Die."

Laughing and shaking his head, Hakkai led his friend out into the spring morning.

~ meanwhile, elsewhere in the inn ~

"Gosh, Mr Oura, you cook really well!" Goku swallowed the last of the carrot cake and grinned at the innkeeper. The dark, bearded man grinned back.

"Thank my wife. She's the one who cooked."

"Yeah," Yukimi Oura piped up. "Dad doesn't cook, all he does is sit around, read his papers…"

"…and keep you and your brother in line." Mrs Oura stepped out of the kitchen, steam billowing out in her wake. "Glad you like the food, Goku. Yuki and Eitaro hardly eat. Like birds, they are."

Goku grinned at the lady of the house. "Thank you for letting us stay here, and for cooking for me. Not everyone is as willing as you are."

"Doesn't your family let you eat?"

"Ah, sure they do, but not hardly enough. I eat a lot," Goku confessed sheepishly. "They're not my family, anyway."

"Your travelling companions, then. What are they like?"

Goku thought about that. "Sanzo, the one with the really nice hair? He's always grumpy and he hits Gojyo and me with his fan whenever we fight over food. He and Gojyo smoke a lot. Gojyo… he fights with me a lot, but we help each other when fighting, and all he does is go looking for girls whenever we stop over somewhere. Hakkai is the nicest, he stops Sanzo from shooting us, and he cooks really well, too. He does the driving, because Hakuryu doesn't like the way Gojyo drives, and the way Sanzo speeds. I don't like it either. Hakkai is very scary when he gets angry, though."

Yukimi laughed. "Sounds like a family to me. Dad's grumpy in the mornings, Ma cooks well and prevents Dad from throwing his coffee at us and Eitaro and I fight all the time."

Goku blinked at the girl. "Oh." He fell silent, a totally new perspective presented to him in a way he'd never even thought about. But Mrs Oura put a dish of fruit in front of them and Goku forgot about the conversation.

~

That night, halfway through dinner, Goku suddenly asked Hakkai if the latter would prevent Sanzo from throwing coffee at Gojyo and Goku. Sanzo swiftly smacked Goku on the head. Hakkai just smiled.

"Perhaps… but Sanzo won't throw his coffee at you. He has his fan." As if to prove the point, Sanzo hit Goku again.

"Stupid monkey…"

"Why the question?"

Goku gave Sanzo a reproachful look. "That hurt. I realised something during lunch… breakfast… ah, while eating with the Ouras."

Hakkai just smiled some more, encouraging Goku.

"You see, Sanzo is like our father," Sanzo's eyebrows flew into his hair, "Hakkai's like our mother," Hakkai took a sip of tea to prevent himself from grinning too widely, "and Gojyo's the brother," Goku finished triumphantly.

"What are you, the pet monkey?" Gojyo snorted. "Look, if you're not going to eat that roll, I am."

As the two squabbled over the rightful ownership of the roll, Hakkai glanced at Sanzo, who was staring at his relatively clean plate. "What's wrong?"

"Huh. Nothing. Shut up, you two!" He hit them both, hit Goku once more for good measure – "Oy, what was that for?" – and picked up his chopsticks.

Silence and the gentle tinkling of wood against porcelain reigned for a while before the 'brothers' started fighting over chicken, before the 'father' threatened to blow their brains out and before their 'mother' tried to calm them all down and assure the rest of the diners that Sanzo wouldn't really carry out his threat… yet.

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…to be continued


	2. Chapter One

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Legacy

Summary: Plans for an experiment with Gojyo as the ideal test subject have surfaced, and the group is pulled into a world of deceit and emotion as Gojyo uncovers his roots and finds out who his family truly is. [eventual slash – you have been warned]

Disclaimer: Not mine. Only the random townsfolk and villains. It'd be quite obvious if the four belonged to me – Goku would wear something better, Gojyo would have nicer pants and Sanzo would wear that skintight top all the time.

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Chapter One [in which the villains are revealed *thank them for they are the unwitting matchmakers* and in which the weather plays a nice healthy role]

Sanzo didn't like rain. His master had been killed during a storm, it had rained throughout his entire journey down the mountain from the monastery and he was quite sure it had rained the night he found Goku. Rain did not symbolise good things for him.

Hakkai didn't like rain. He had crawled his way up to the castle of the Thousand-Eyed Demon in the rain and had watched his lover kill herself while the rain pounded outside. He had been rescued by a red-haired man in a rainstorm while wishing for death to claim him and had been reborn as who he currently was as rain poured outside. Rain, to him, meant death and fear.

Gojyo didn't like rain. Rain was water, and, coupled with the stormy grey of the clouds, reminded him forcefully of the beautiful grey eyes of his mother tearing up and weeping each time she looked at him. It reminded him of the day his brother had killed the only woman in their young lives, and walked out and got drenched and got lost to him forever. Rain reminded him of family he never had and family he lost.

Goku… didn't like rain. And so he announced this one stormy night as lightning flashed and thunder crashed outside the cozy little inn.

"I don't like rain, Sanzo." They were in a room, the smaller of the two curled up on a bed and the other one sitting on a chair beside the window, puffing away on a dying cigarette. He didn't respond.

"You know why?" Goku hugged a pillow to his chest, waiting for Sanzo to reply. He didn't. "When it rains, there are so many clouds… and… it's so dark. " Softly, he added, almost as an afterthought, "The sun isn't around."

This line snapped Sanzo out of whatever thoughts there were in his mind. A voice, both masculine and feminine at the same time, rang in his head, and a vision… no, a memory… clouded his sight. He had experienced this just before he rescued Goku from Homura that fateful day. "…can you be the sun to this boy?…" Sanzo looked at Goku, who was picking at a scab on his knee.

"Stupid monkey…" he murmured. "Yours is."

~

Somewhere in the storm, a pair of eyes watched a warmly lit building. It watched four people in the inn. It concentrated on a particular figure, prone on a bed. The figure with hair the colour of fire spilling over his shoulders, with eyes the colour of the finest wine staring at the ceiling.

Sha Gojyo.

"Sir." The owner of the watching pair of eyes was joined by another person with bulging muscles and short hair. "Everything is in place. We just need a test subject."

The first man turned slightly, pointed ears showing under thick black hair. "I have the perfect one. It's just a matter of time…"

~

Gojyo was woken by a strangled yell. For a wild moment, he thought he was back home, eight years old once more, and his mother was holding that axe high above him, ready to strike… but then his mind came back to him and he turned towards the other bed.

Hakkai was curled up, sheets twisted around him, hands clutching his stomach. His eyes were wide open but unseeing… or rather, seeing something not there. Gojyo knelt beside the bed.

"Hakkai, wake up."

One of Hakkai's hands came flying out and lashed Gojyo on the cheek. It stung, but Gojyo didn't care – Hakkai would hurt himself if he didn't wake up soon. Gojyo sighed and slapped his friend hard. "Wake up!"

The demon gasped and tensed, then realised where he was and relaxed. He grabbed the nearest object – Gojyo's hand, in this case – and held on, murmuring over and over again, "Kanan… no… don't do this…"

Gojyo furrowed his brow. What had provoked Hakkai into a nightmare involving his late lover? It wasn't the rain – there had been many storms the past few weeks, but Hakkai had slept well. Gojyo thought about it… then remembered the way Hakkai has dropped that day's newspaper in horror, staring at the date.

June the fifth.

Five years before, on the exact same day and in the exact same weather, a redheaded half-demon had almost stepped on a bleeding man dying on the forest floor. For reasons made known later, the redhead had carried the injured guy home and taken care of him until a blonde monk and his pet monkey came for a not-so-friendly visit.

Five years before, Hakkai had killed a thousand demons and turned into one himself. Five years before… Kanan had died.

Gojyo half-heartedly tried to pull his hand away, but he knew it was useless – Hakkai could be very strong. Sighing, Gojyo pushed his hair out of the way, settled into a slightly more comfortable position on the floor and fell into an uneasy sleep.

~

The next day dawned bright and sunny, not at all suited to any of their moods. Sanzo was tired and irritable, Goku spent most of breakfast giving Sanzo confused looks, Hakkai had dark circles under his pretty green eyes and Gojyo was finding it very hard to sit down, having spent the whole night on a hard, damp floor.

"Let's go." Sanzo stalked out of the inn, not sparing any of them a glance. Goku went to bid farewell to the Ouras before following, and Hakkai and Gojyo trailed after them slowly. It looked like it was going to be a long day.

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…to be continued


	3. Chapter Two

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Legacy

Summary: Plans for an experiment with Gojyo as the ideal test subject have surfaced, and the group is pulled into a world of deceit and emotion as Gojyo uncovers his roots and finds out who his family truly is. [eventual slash – you have been warned]

Disclaimer: Why do I even bother? *glomps Hakkai and Tenpou*

Author says: I was writing this under the influence of cough medicine, which made me drowsy. I think that's all you need to know. Heh.

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Chapter Two [in which Kougaiji and his crew as well as the villains appear… for real]

The world seemed to have been scrubbed clean, each leaf and rock glistening with the rainwater from the night before. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and generally everyone was bright and happy. Everyone but four characters in a green Jeep trundling down the dusty road, away from the rising sun.

Goku had fallen asleep again, and snore were being produced in time with the vehicle's jolting. Sanzo had given in to the exhaustion gnawing at the edges of his mind and was dozing in the front passenger seat, and Hakkai was yawning continuously. Only Gojyo seemed relatively alert.

"Hakkai."

"Hm?"

"Get some sleep, let me drive for a bit."

Hakkai shook his head. "It's all right, I'm not slee…" his protest fell flat as he yawned widely. The Jeep came to a halt and the pair switched places. "Now, don't leave your foot on the accelerator when stepping on the brake otherwise you may step on both at the same time and spoil the engine. Also…"

Gojyo pushed Hakkai gently back onto the seat. "Sleep. I know how to drive. I don't think Hakuryu would like it if you drove him into a tree." Hakkai mustered up a small smile before slipping into unconsciousness.

They had barely cleared the last farmhouses when four figures suddenly materialised on the road ahead of the Jeep. Gojyo brought the Jeep slowly to a stop to avoid bumping the others around too much [Sanzo got murderous when woken up suddenly] and squinted at the people, two female, two male. The male standing at the head of the group had very long red hair, a tan that Gojyo could never obtain despite their incessant travels on the road and a scowl on his face. Kougaiji.

Gojyo sighed. He really wasn't in the mood for a fight, even if it was with such worthy opponents. Beside him, Sanzo cracked open an eye and groaned softly. "That annoying brat."

Goku awoke with a snort. "Oh, look," he said, with a startling amount of enthusiasm considering the fact that he had just woken up. "Kougaiji."

Shaking the bleariness from his eyes, Hakkai smiled very slightly and called out to the other group, "I don't suppose you'd go away and come back again in a few hours?" A small explosive was tossed over and it went off two feet above their heads. "Ah. I thought not."

It wasn't the first time any of them had fought each other, but the battle was clearly one-sided. Sanzo didn't even bother with protocol; he pulled out his fan, knocked the short, energetic Lirin out and settled wearily against a tree to watch the others. Goku could only dodge whatever Kougaiji sent his way, and Hakkai's energy bursts seemed smaller and less intense than usual. Gojyo was wincing with every step he took, causing his half-brother to frown in concern.

"What's wrong with you?" Dokugakuji asked.

"Blame Hakkai," Gojyo snapped, blocking another blow. Dokugakuji raised an eyebrow and looked at Gojyo suspiciously, glancing from the latter's face to his behind to Yaone's green-clad opponent.

Suddenly, Gojyo understood what Dokugakuji was thinking. "Damn it, bro, it's not like that!" He sent the detachable blade flying, but it was knocked away easily.

Goku had regained his spirits and was attacking Kougaiji back in earnest. Very soon, he was straddling the latter's chest with his staff pressed against Kougaiji's throat. "Yeah! I won!"

Kougaiji fixed Goku with a glare. "You treat this as a game, don't you?"

Goku nodded. "As long as you don't harm Sanzo, I'll treat it as a game. If you do…" he didn't continue. They both could remember the incident in the desert very well. At least, Kougaiji did. Goku only remembered the injuries on Hakkai and Gojyo.

"All right, you win," Kougaiji said suddenly. "Get off me."

Goku obeyed. The demon prince glared at Goku again. "When did you get so strong?"

"Ah…" Goku thought about it. "Thank the gods."

Kougaiji wondered what that meant, but decided not to pursue it. "Let's go," he barked. Yaone and Hakkai bowed to each other, Lirin scampered back to her brother, complaining loudly about cheating baldies [Sanzo could feel the veins in his forehead swelling] and Dokugakuji winked at Gojyo.

"Watch your _back_, eh, bro?"

Gojyo flicked the finger at the tall demon, but grinned nonetheless. "You watch your own."

"Good fight," Yaone said. Hakkai opened his mouth, about to reply, when he saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. He whirled and threw a barrier over Gojyo.

It was just in time. An arrow that would have struck Gojyo in the shoulder glanced off the shield and onto the ground, where Goku picked it up. Sanzo fired a single shot into the direction from which the arrow came from, and the air shimmered, revealing a person clutching his arm. A bow was lying beside his feet.

Hakkai snarled and was about to hurl an energy ball at the attacker when someone else got there first. Dokugakuji picked the person up by the collar and shook him hard. "Who the hell are you?"

The person's long, unkempt hair fell from his face to reveal slit-pupiled eyes and a pair of pointed ears. He bared his teeth at Dokugakuji and vanished. Doku swore.

"Now, now, mind your mouth," a voice chided. Eight pairs of eyes stared at the newcomer. Two pairs widened in recognition.

"I see you remember me," the stranger said smoothly. His eyes were a startling shade of blue and the coat he wore fluttered in the breeze. "Jien. Gojyo."

Dokugakuji let out a strangled croak, while Gojyo's mouth hung open. "You… you're supposed to be dead!"

The man laughed lightly, then gazed at the stunned brothers. "That's what you were supposed to believe."

Gojyo shook his head slowly. "No… you're lying, you bastard." Dokugakuji still hadn't moved. "You're lying."

"Gojyo, Gojyo… is that the proper way to greet your father?"

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…to be continued

Author says more stuff: Was that fun? *grin* Those who still don't know the pairing will find out in the next chapter. I think my chapters are horribly short, but this one is three and a half pages in handwriting. Painful work, but that's how I go about doing things. This fic was written largely as an experiment, because I have never completed a chaptered fic in my life. I will finish this one, though. The whole thing's planned out already. I just haven't written it. The point is, if you're expecting this to be an action fic with a little slash thrown in for fun… sorry, you're going to be disappointed. Action will be there, but so will slash. Lots of slash. This was started off as a slash fic for my little guinea-pig-cum-rubbish-bin, deviant*, so… yep. Just to tell you. ^_^


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